Charles Spurgeon Commentary Luke 7:44

"And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath wetted my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair." — Luke 7:44 (ASV)

But she has washed my feet with tears, –

Costly water this! She has washed my feet with tears.

I entered into your house,—

"Therefore you were bound by the obligations of a host."

But she has washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head.

"She has given my feet no common washing, for she has washed them with her tears. You would only have brought me a linen napkin, but she has wiped them with the hairs of her head."

I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and washed them with the hairs of her head.

"I became your guest; and, therefore, as my host, the first thing you should have done was to give the ordinary Oriental hospitality of washing my feet: Thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head." What a changing of places there is now! The Lord has made the first to be last, and the last to be first. Simon thought himself far in advance of this woman; but now that Christ had explained their true positions, I should think he began to see that the woman was far ahead of him.

And he turned to the woman, and said to Simon, Do you see this woman?

Christ knew that Simon did see her, and that he had just been sneering at her in his heart: Do you see this woman?

And he turned to the woman, and said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I entered into your house,

And it was, therefore, your duty to attend to me.

You gave me no water for my feet: —

An ordinary commonplace courtesy in the East, almost a necessity for those who have walked far, and whose feet are weary and dusty: You gave me no water for my feet: —

Thou gavest me no water for my feet:

Though that was the common custom.

And wiped them with the hairs of her head.

"She has done it; she has done it better than you would have done it; she has done it best of all; she has done what you ought to have done; she has done it when there seemed to be no claim upon her to do it."